Welcome to Dish-Houston! Houston's FIRST Green online magazine all about Houston. If you are looking for something to do that is local, trying to find the perfect piece of chocolate, the right gift or even dating ideas, that's why we are here! Drop us an email! We love hearing from you! Blessings and Love!!! Dish-Houston

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DISHIES are writing in asking for suggestions on natural ways to moisturize their skin and we have the best solution options!! First, Jojoba oil is a fantastic oil that you shouldn't live without. It's greatness isin it's molecules! They have a similar structure to our own skin and hair sebum. More so than any other oil! It doesn't remain oily to the touch and leaves behind silky, smooth, pretty skin!

Here are DISH-Houston.com's top 10 ways to use this awesome oil!

1. Facial cleanser and moisturizer - The oil absorbs into skin quickly so you're not feeling greasy. It also cleanses clogged pores. KEEP IN MIND: This is not an acne cure but a healthy diet is one of the most important factors for stopping acne from forming. Using jojoba oil is a way to fight existing acne, but not the solution to the problem. It's just a piece of the puzzle.

2. Makeup remover - Jojoba is a wonderful makeup remover! It is so gentle and gets rid of everything; including stubborn products like eyeliner and mascara. It doesn't burn or sting like other makeup removers do (because of the chemicals). Just take a little on a cotton ball and watch it do it's magic. Then, BONUS, you get moisturized eye area and stay young looking longer!

3. Foot and hand softener - Applied just like lotion, use when you get out off the shower/bath as a moisturizer. For the feet, it's great to put on a pair of cozy socks straightaway to lock in the moisturizer. Then you can run around the house without worrying about oil getting on everything while it soaks in and does it's magic!

4. Massage oil - There are some really bad oils on the market that smell amazing but are absolutely useless in the massage room. The secondary problem to those products is fragrance is known to break the skin out, jojoba will not do that. PLUS, it smell delicious. Have fun!

5. Lip conditioner - Use your fingers to apply the oil as if it were using a lip balm. Jojoba has incredible soothing properties and puts moisture back into dry lips.

6. Leave-in hair conditioner - Take a small amount in the palm of your hand and work it gently through the tips of your hair. This with help keep dry hair moisturized. It can also be smoothed over frizzies when hair is damp to combat flyaways. *BONUS NOTE: put a good amount in wet hair and massage the scalp. Put a towel on your hair and sit in the steam shower, bathtub or outside for a relaxing moment in the sun. When you wash your hair it will be softer than you've ever felt and your scalp will be healthier as well!

8. Cuticle oil - This oil helps recondition dry cuticles. Feel free to use it on the entire nail surface to prevent chipping and peeling which can be caused by dehydration, drastic outdoor temperatures, or hot water drying out the nails, either from daily hand washing or over showering. The outgrowth of hair and nails is actually dead cells, so they needed to be cared for to prevent future damage. Split or chipped nails cannot be mended, just like split ends on your hair. Just cut them off and care for them better next time.

9. For the bath - Add a few drops of oil to a bath. This moisturizes the skin leaving it feeling soft and smooth.

All of the elements that make for a perfect summer day — saltwater, chlorine, surf-side breezes and the warming rays of the sun — will reek havoc on your tresses. Follow these tips from our stylists to maintain your gorgeous hair all summer long:

1. Use Hair Moisturizing Products! The heat of the sun along with salt, chlorine or sand will open up your hair cuticle, stripping it of natural oils. (And, use a good conditioner every time you shampoo, too.)

2. Shield your Hair Color! Just like you wouldn’t go out in the sun without SPF, don’t let your hair be exposed without a UV protection for your hair. Wrap your hair with scarf, use a hat, or try a UV protectant specially formulated for your hair.

3. Keep your Hair Saturated! Before you dive into a pool or the sea, drench your hair with clean water first. Your hair will soak that in instead of absorbing damaging chlorine or salt.

4. Use the Sun to Your Advantage! Try coating your hair with a deep conditioning masque before lying out in the sun. All of the “good for you” ingredients will soak into your hair as the heat helps the products to penetrate deeper into the cortex of the hair fibers than they normally would.

5. Put Down the Heating Tools! With all the sun exposure you are getting, minimize your use of dryers and irons. You know your hair won’t hold up in Houston’s humidity anyway, so use a great styling product and let your hair dry naturally. How about a great curl-enhancing spray for a sexy beachy look. Or, some great accessories for a casual summer ‘do.

6. Humidity-Proof Your Hair! Try a demi-permanent treatment, such as the Brazilian Blowout or a Keratin treatment, to keep your hair from getting frizzy or unmanageable in the humidity or when you sweat. There are also great shampoos, conditioners and styling products that have anti-humectant properties to get you through those swampy days.

Going on a great beach vacation? Planning on spending a lot of time at the pool? Need help keeping your hair healthy looking as the weather heats up? Come see us at Azur Salon or Azur West! We'll show you the correct products for your hair type, and help you find the perfect color, shape and style to keep you cool and looking fantastic.

At Azur West, we are in L-O-V-E with Shu Uemura Art of Hair’s latest product. It’s called “Volume Maker” and it’s the first precision hair powder brush that gives instant root lift, texture and body. It also helps to refresh any blow-dry for long lasting hairstyles. Since it is an invisible powder, it works on all hair colors.

It comes out as a clear powder with no scent. It’s a sleekly packaged product in a very easy-to-use canister. The red and black design is ultra-cool, and it is the perfect size for your purse! The product gives your hair instant volume, just like its name suggests.

The product is also a fantastic dry shampoo; it works wonders on second (and even third!) day hair, absorbing oil on the scalp while making it feel cleaner.

Stop by the salon and let us demonstrate it for you! We know you will want one, and you’ll be the envy of all your friends.

Flipping through fashion magazines, you can’t help but notice that Ombré is a popular color trend. Ombré is French, meaning to shade or graduate in tone. Hair stylists use Ombré to describe the hair that begins dark at the scalp and changes tone through the ends of the hair.

As we enter into Spring and move into the warmer Summer months, Ombré can provide you with that “just back from a beach vacation” look. Much like the perfect hair color achieved by a younger person who spends their days playing in the sun, the hair farther away from the scalp will be lighter than that which is closer to the head. Since this effect is more natural, it also requires much less maintenance than other color techniques. You can use Ombré to be as strong or as subtle as you wish.

You have probably seen Ombré primarily on blondes, made popular by celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Cavallari and Drew Barrymore. In the photo below is an example of a blonde Ombré I performed on our salon's client, AshLee. But for the more daring, Ombré can be used in a variety of colors. Just check out this beautiful Ombré featuring reds and pinks on our client, Michelle.

Call us at Azur West at 713.400.2987 for a complimentary consultation for any of our popular color services. Whether you want to try Ombré or achieve a palette of rich tones by using the Balayage technique or traditional foils, we can find the perfect color for your hair.

Zoey has been working on her craft for almost 10 years so sitting with her and talking about her passion - skin care - was an educational process that I wasn't expecting. I have been playing in beauty for many MANY years so to learn new things is very refreshing. Here is what Zoey at the Rice Village location of True Beauty had to say about Winterizing your skin care regime.

She starts with what seems basic but has to much wisdom to it. Regardless of how long you've been playing in skin care, preparing skin for winter is something you should see your specialist about first. Get analyzed for any climate change you encounter because you will need different skin care, even when you're just traveling because the climate will be different.

Some folks who are in busy and needone stop shop product she suggests SPF. The Sun's rays are still very active during the winter months and you can still get burned, sun damage and wrinkles and skin cancer.

Zoey prefers separate moisturizer and SPF because the SPF product alone is usually more effective and a combo product. You won't use enough of the moisturizer to get the amount of SPF that your skin will need to be effective. Glow therapeutics has a great one that is 40 SPF and not heavy. Ultra Tint from Dermologica that is a 30 SPF if you like the combo product. It matches most skin shades but it isan SPF first so it is effective but you will still have to use a moisturizer during the colder months.

Remember, there is a huge difference between oil and water. Whentalking hydration they're talking water for the skin. Here in Houston we have humidity so a hydrating serum is prob best if you are, in fact, dehydrated which is the case for most people. If you are not drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water a day then you will be dehydrated and it will show up in your skin. If you are on certain kinds medications or hormones they will make your skin dry. IF you are truly DRY then you can add an oil to your skin that translates into a heavier moisturizer. If you are dehydrated from not drinking enough water and add a heavier moisturizer then you will break out more. You're simply confusing your skin. Water is self binding to it takes water from you to attract water to itself and hydrate your skin.

Again, before you decide what you need for yourself, treat yourself to a FREE consultation with Zoey so you don't cause breakouts or waste money on products that aren't right for your skin. You can have beautiful skin while being budget conscious.

It boils down to this, yes, you will have to move to a slightly heavier moisturizer for the winter months, just like changing your wardrobe but which one is something you should discuss with Zoey!

Another tip for younger, more beautiful and radiant skin: Don't over exfoliate!! If you exfoliate too much you will end up with either thicker skin or thinner skin which leads to more pigment damage, capillary damage and environmental damage. So a chemical peel or lasers treatment would be better for you rather than a microderm for instance. A professional won't necessarily give you what you ask for, they will educate you and guide you to what is best for your skin over all so be ready for that when you make your appointment.

Zoey has been a skin share specialist since 2005 and has her international accreditation meaning she can work in 34 countries. She had to learn more advanced physiology and deeper knowledge of the skin to receive this accreditation. Making people feelgood about themselves is her motivation. She has always loved skin care and had a deep love for skin care products since she was a little girl. She knew there was something special going on when she realised she was cconstantly buying the latest and greatest and like all of us, the gift with purchase was the best part! BUT rarely was it what was best for her skin so the free product and waste of money became tiresome. It took her a while to realize that if wasn't the product that made you beautiful it was the skin under it so she started researching and learning.

The thing about great skin care is there is the process of elimination. Even the best skin care specialist may recommend something that isn't quite right for your skin so it is trial and error. Just like working out or finding the right diet for yourself.

ZOEY'S FAVS:

* Hydrodynamic from Murad is gives moisturizer without being too heavy or causing out break for folks who still have oil. Great for the Houston climate.

* Ahava extreme day cream with Dead Sea salts so your body only absorbs what it needs. It creates the balance. It will leach and return moisture to skin as it needs it. And the product smells soooooooo good!

* Glow serum or the Deremologica Cyto Lluxe or Multi Vitamin Power (DISH Endorsed) The serum is like your vitamin so you will still need a moisturizer.

* Eye Cream: Dermologica Age Reversal has caffiene and light defuses! Plus it was Retinol so it exfoliates, the peptides and cermamides hydrate from the inside out.

*Glow Cyto Luxe Eye Cream is recommended but if you're a bit oily that is not the one for you.

Zoey would love to guide you and help you with your skin. She feels education is the best she can do for anyone. Make your appointment for a FREE 15 minute consultation and bring the bag of products you use! Together, you can decide if it needs tweaking or not. 713-526-2553

Celebrities are wearing it. You can’t be a Victoria’s Secret model without it. And now, women in Houston are asking for it by name. What is it? Balayage! The Balayage (pronounced bah-lee-AHZGE) technique of highlighting hair has been around since the 1980's, but it went underground for quite awhile. But as the old saying goes, “what goes around comes around” and Balayage is back as strong as ever.

Supermodel Gisele shows how Balayage Highlights Balayage is a hair coloring technique designed to create natural-looking highlights with a soft grow out. A French word meaning "to sweep", Balayage involves custom hand-painting the highlights to your hair by individually selecting each strand and then softly "sweeping" with a special hair color brush to give a perfectly natural sun-kissed look. The highlights are concentrated primarily on the mid-section and ends of the hair. However, unlike the Ombré technique, the color is also swept up to the roots in a soft, dissipated fashion. This creates a darker root area, but a very beautiful and natural grow out. Balayage is certainly an art form and takes a lot of practice. Unless you are with the right stylist, it can be a very difficult look to achieve.

I like to compare the Balayage look to the way a child has that natural, gorgeous blonde color they achieve so easily by playing in the sun. So many of my clients tell me they wish they could return to that "natural" blonde of their youth. Unfortunately, time takes its toll on us in many ways and hair color is one as it grows darker with age. With Balayage, it looks like you spent the summer at the beach or as if you just came back from a really great vacation. Also, Balayage clients won’t get noticeable and obvious roots (or "new growth" as we prefer to call it at Azur West!), meaning they get more wear out of their highlights investment. It’s a great alternative to regular foil highlights.

My fellow hair stylists at Azur West and I are experts at the Balayage techniques, and we are ready to consult with you to see if Balayage highlights are the right choice for the look you are trying to achieve. Want to experience Balayage for yourself? Call Azur West at 713.400.2987 for a complimentary hair color consultation with me or any of my fellow stylists to learn more!

(Remember to mention you are a reader of Dish Houston when booking any color, cutting or styling appointment at Azur West and receive a complimentary Shu Uemura Art of Hair treatment ceremony, a $45 value

While you might think that dryness and damage are just the inevitable effects of professional hair color, Azur West now offers an innovation that changes everything you thought you knew about hair color with INOA. The name INOA stands for Innovation No Ammonia. INOA gives you beautiful, rich color, without wreaking havoc on your precious locks. INOA, by L'Oréal, worked for over a decade with a team of more than 300 scientists to invent a new way of coloring hair, the first such innovation in hair color in over 50 years. With over 22 patents on this technology, L'Oreal has partnered with a limited number of select salons throughout the U.S. to offer this exquisite brand. And you can find it right here in Houston at the INOA Color Bar inside of Azur West, a Shu Uemura Art of Hair salon.

As a professional colorist, here are my top five reasons I know you’ll fall in love with INOA:

INOA is odorless: One of the most prominent disadvantages to other types of professional hair color is the strong chemical odor. If you are an experienced color client, you have no doubt experienced the strong fumes coming from hair color. Any woman with hair color knows what it is like to get a whiff and have stinging, irritated and watery eyes. INOA color makes those chemical fumes a thing of the past, as it is completely odorless. Ask to stick your nose up to a bowl the next time I apply this to your hair. You won't believe it!

INOA contains no ammonia: Ammonia is the ingredient found in hair color that causes major damage to your hair and scalp. Ammonia is an alkaline agent typically added to hair color in order to lift your hair and distribute color. But, as a side effect, it also leaves your hair strands dry and swollen with breakage on the ends. Ammonia is also often responsible for causing your scalp to become red, itchy and irritated. INOA hair color is so innovative that it uses a totally different color delivery system, called ODS Technology, thus saving your hair from the terrible and frizzy results other color systems are known for.

ODS Technology: INOA uses a new breakthrough technology known as the oil delivery system (ODS) to distribute color perfectly. If you want the best for your hair, INOA is your hair color. Compared to other permanent colors, INOA provides up to 2x more lipid protection to every strand of your hair. The result is a bold, shiny and lustrous texture that leaves your hair feeling like silk. It's like getting a free hair treatment with your color treatment! After 7-8 applications of INOA over time, it takes your hair back to that beautiful virgin hair texture that we all desire.

Better results: My fellow stylists at Azur West and I are able to offer you color that is better matched to our color swatches, avoiding any surprises with the final result. In addition to better color consistency, your hair will be improved with each application of INOA. In the past, your hair became more damaged with every coloring process. INOA reverses that trend and takes your hair to new levels of health while providing superior scalp comfort.

Celebrity stylists use INOA: Hollywood’s leading ladies have to look good at all times, but especially in front of the camera. Celebrity stylists must bring the newest and most innovative color to their clients in order to make sure their hair looks nothing less than flawless. Ted Gibson, stylist to the stars and owner of Ted Gibson Salons along with Jason Backe, Master Colorist, of the Ted Gibson Salons in New York, D.C. and Fort Lauderdale switched to INOA and fell in love. As personal friends of ours at Azur West, we took their advice and followed their lead. “I’m really excited about being part of the latest revolutionary hair color technology in the world,” says Gibson. “My clients have been thrilled with INOA – the color process and the amazing results!” Hey, if it is good enough for Ted's clients such as Angelina Jolie, Reese Witherspoon and Renée Zellweger, then it is good enough for me!

Angelina JolieINOA by L’Oréal has taken hair color to a completely new level. Come take a seat at our amazingly beautiful color bar at Azur West. We'll serve you a drink to relax while you watch one of our stylists or me formulate and mix your color. And, you won't be forced to sacrifice the health, softness and bounce of your hair. Let one of the professional stylists at Azur West show you the best your hair and color can be with INOA.

(Remember to mention you are a reader of Dish Houston when booking any color, cutting or styling appointment at Azur West and receive a complimentary Shu Uemura Art of Hair treatment ceremony, a $45 value!)

True Beauty is so much more than a one stop shop for all of your favorite beauty lines…and so much more you had no clue you wanted or needed….but it is also a really great salon! YES SALON!! I was taken aback when I walked through the store while awaiting my facial with Erika Rodriguez. The salon is so beautiful, clean, well run and a bonus: everyone smiles and says hello! It was a peaceful Saturday morning, people were milling about smelling shampoos and lotions, a few clients were getting their hair done and the manicurist was giggling away while performing her magic. It is such a peaceful and fun environment. I’d like to think this is a little bit of what Heaven will be like because I LOVE being pampered and playing in beauty products.

When Erica came out to greet me she handed me a very well thought out skin questionnaire with details you never thought would matter when just going for a facial. That was the first sign I was in for something great! The room is quaint with a curved ceiling painted with clouds that take your imagination away as you lay on the warm bed with a large plastic, oil covered water bottle…I admit it made me wonder. Once she got to the massage it all made wonderful and blissful sense.

While Erika worked on my skin I took the time to get to know her. I don’t know about you but it is one thing when someone is recommended to you but I still want to know about their education and history! Turns out she is very well educated! I grilled her, believe me! She takes every possible continuing education class she can get herself to and is in the process of learning how lasers work! She is on the cutting edge of everything skin care that she can be. Ms. Rodriguez has been a skincare therapist for 8 yrs and been in skincare and make up for 14 yrs. She started as a make-up artist but was having trouble helping people look their absolute best on their big occasions because they didn’t have a good skin care regime. Having a good canvas helps the paint go on better. That is what made her go back to school. She truly cares about helping people look their best thus feel their best.

In my treatment she used the Precleanse by Dermalogica which is an oil based cleanser. I like this for the evening after the day of make-up and skin oils all caked up. Oil attaches to oil and gives you a cleaner clean without stripping your skin. This is available for purchase $35. Next was Skin Resurfacing Cleanser which has little exfoliates in it and is also available for purchase at $38. Keep in mind; you only need a little bit of each product at a time. These may sound a little expensive but they will last for at least 3 months and the improvement you will see in your skin will be priceless! Erika followed that with a back bar product, which means it is not available for purchase, the skin exfoliating system, a scaling fluid with calming botanical mixer then post extraction solution and a soothing additive because my skin had been worked over, which I asked her to do!! She followed that with an environmental serum topped with the Ultra Calming Masque that felt so good, cool and calming $43. The Age Smart Toner which retails at $38 followed by the Ultra Calming Complex (back bar), The Ultra Calming Serum Concentrate $53, and finished with The Hydrating Serum by Cellex C and of course…Lippy Stuff!

As previously mentioned my skin had been worked over meaning I had a derma-blading treatment a week before my treatment with Erika so it was VERY sensitive. She used the ultra calming line to help reduce redness and inflammation.

When I asked Erika what the main message she wanted to get across to people was she had this to say,

“The main thing I want people to know is that I provide services to help you feel good, look good, as well as address your specific skin care needs. I use my years of education and experience to assess your skin as well as the questionnaire you fill out before you even come into my room so I can give you the best service for your needs. My services include facials, acne treatments, and varying strengths of chemical peels, microdermabrasion, waxing, tinting, and make-up services.”

The massage that comes with the facial as you are waiting for your mask to set is probably the best kept secret in Houston…until now…remember the oil covered plastic water bottle type thing I mentioned you lay on?? Wow, whoever came up with that should be knighted.

Ms. Rodriguez in all of her brilliance suggested two take home products. The first was the Aveda Lip Saver.

In the nature of full disclosure I have to say I am a lippy stuff fanatic. It is my very favorite thing in the world and no matter what purse I am carrying you will find no less than 5 lippy products in said bag at any given time. Buying this was a no brainer but I actually like it. I can eat and drink and my lips are still moisturized afterwards so there is less application and the product lasts longer. For only $8.50 it is practically a steal.

The next take home was from Dermalogica. This is a skin care line that I have used on and off since I was a teenager so there was familiarity with the history of the brand. The product itself is brand new to the line however and I was able to take it home and use it well before it officially hit the market thanks to the local Dermalogica rep, Jackie Casteneda who made sure it was in my hot little hands and on my face for a couple of weeks before it was available to the public just so I could write this story!

It’s the new Multivitamin Power Serum. Here is how it works, microencapsulated vitamins A, C and E penetrates deep into skin- where they can do their best work. Over time, this helps to decrease fine lines and hyper-pigmentation (age spots) while stimulating collagen formation to decrease sun-induced aging in skin. According to the literature, it also boosts elasticity levels with a skin-strengthening protein peptide that overrides biochemical triggers that lead to skin aging. Don;t you love science-y talk?

Now, the truth of the matter is I did see a difference while using this product. My skin is softer, the wrinkles around my eyes are lesser and there is an overall healthier look to my skin’s appearance. AND, this is the best part, I am actually getting compliments! If you have the beginnings of age signs creeping up on you I do suggest you run to True Beauty ASAP and snag some before there is a wait list for it. $65

Call True Beauty today for your appointment and tell them DISH sent you!

Avocados are Mother Nature's skin moisturizer. With their healthy fats and phytonutrients, they offer remarkable benefits to human skin -- both when eaten and when used topically.

For an excellent skin complexion, rub one or more of the following items against the skin two to four times a week: papaya pulp, avocado, or cucumber. For dry skin, rub hempseed oil, jojoba oil and MSM lotion directly into the skin. This will alleviate dryness quickly. Or use avocado on the skin directly. Avocado oil is similar to our skin's oil.

Treat yourself to an avocado facial. Beauty, they say, is only skin deep. Luckily, avocado has moisturizing power to help make your skin more beautiful. For years, people have used avocado as a natural facial treatment, especially for dry skin. It's easy to do in your own home. Just remove your makeup and wash your face with warm water and soap or your favorite cleanser. Mash some avocado and mix it with a little milk or oatmeal and apply it to your face. Leave it there for 10 minutes, then rinse it off with lots of water.

Mix avocado, olive oil and lemon juice together in a bowl. Once evenly mixed, cover entire body, including hair and let sit for 15 minutes. As you rinse off the mask in the sower, use the sea salt as an allover light exfoliator.

A healthy scalp is key to a beautiful head of hair. Maintaining the right balance of oils ensures the hair root can take hold and remain in place. Nourishing the scalp through vitamins, exfoliating dead cells to unclog pores and increasing blood flow provides the optimal nutrition and conditions for hair growth. Your scalp is filled with capillaries, and unless the blood is delivering the right nutrients to the scalp (and the skin is not clogged to receive the good stuff), the root of the hair will die. Most of the time, thinning hair and hair loss can be corrected by balancing nutrition and exfoliation.

You need the right nutritional supplements and products designed to keep your scalp its healthiest, to reduce hair loss, increase texture and density of hair, and to avoid thinning hair. The popular Kérastase line of products has developed specific blends of nutritional supplements designed to ensure your scalp and hair have the nourishment they need to take root, hold strong and grow beautifully. From the Densitive blend of nutrients for men or women experiencing thinning to the Age Premium vitamins created for women’s hair loss due to aging and hormonal changes, there is something perfect for everyone. Paired with the proper shampoo for scalp health, it helps to deliver a healthier head of hair.

Shu Uemura Art of Hair, another popular brand, used their research on healthy scalps to create Essential Drops. A dropper of carefully selected oils to help balance and maintain the health of the scalp while providing inner balance. From the purifying and invigorating peppermint oil to the combination of lemon and catnip for a calming effect, enriched with ginger stimulierndem, embedded in the non-greasy oil of tamanu nut, rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Plus, combined with the steam of your shower, it turns your daily routine into a luxurious spa-like experience.

At my salon, Azur West, we carry both of those product lines and a variety of nutrients and exfoliation options for every head of hair. Stop by to visit me and my fellow stylists! We would love to help you find the right products to balance your scalp and ensure a perfect environment to grow a healthy (and beautiful!) head of hair.

Here’s an easy test to determine how badly your hair is damaged: Take a strand and place it in a glass of water. The sooner it sinks, the less protein it has. This means your hair is more dehydrated and at risk for breakage. A great in-salon treatment with a home conditioning regimen are critical components to fixing damage from over-processed color, heating tools, chemical services and even the sun.

Prevent damage by treating your hair like your skin. Never go out in the sun without a sun protectant in your hair (or a great hat or scarf to keep away those harsh UV rays!). Don't rub your hair with a towel after getting out of the shower. Rather, press your hair and wrap it in an absorbent towel. Always use a heat protectant before pulling out the flat iron or blow dryer. Use a wide tooth comb in your hair when it is still wet before you begin your styling. And use the right products that don't contain too much alcohol or other irritants that can damage and dry the hair.

If you already have the damage, come see me at Azur West. I can hook you up with the very best solution to rebuild your hair to be silky, shiny and healthy! We can shore up the cuticle of your hair fibers by injecting moisture, shine and silkiness through a fantastic treatments and give you the best take-home products to fix most any problem: breakage, frizz, dryness, dull or limp hair. Our stylists are specialists in identifying and solving hair problems. Plus, we will help to avoid the damage in the first place. We can provide you with the best sun and heating protectants, and we use advanced color technology that will treat instead of damage your hair. We look forward to hosting you soon!

Most Houstonians have heard of True Beauty Salon and Spas. There are two locations, one at Woodway and Voss and the other in Rice Village. What most folks don't know is that they are not affiliated with the national chain, they are locally owned! The same husband and wife team have owned True Beauty for 21 years! Of course, in the past they were affiliated with a national brand but just this year have gone out on their own. Isn't Houston so lucky to have such a great locally owned company? True Beauty offers a wide array of salon and spa services as well as top products such as Aveda, Eminence, Dermalogica, Pureology, Morrocan Oil, Phyto, and Bumble and Bumble.

Since taking full ownership Monique has really participated in giving back to the community! She participated in Fashion's Night Out with Carrie Ann Boutique in Uptown Park AND Rotary Skyline and Pepperdine Houston Chapter's Step Forward Day. Look for them later this year also participating as a sponsor for Tour de Pink and the cancer card!

There will be a lot more coming up about True Beauty here on DISH so keep checking back! We're looking forward to the holidays because we have new and unique gifts coming into the stores!

Have you ever had one of “those” nights? Sure, we all have. But who wants to look like they did the next morning? None of us! Enter Hard Night, Good Morning!

The history of the product is important because it’s rare that you find something locally made with such an organic and inspirational story…that’s actually GOOD!

When Texan D’Andra Simmons was a teenager her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. That experience started the family on the quest for better living through holistic endeavors. Dee Simmons, D’Andra’s mother, after traveling the world seeking the best in holistic, natural living started Ultimate Living International. ULI is a natural; organic Dallas based Supplement Company that makes pharmaceutical grade supplements. Consequently, Dee has now been cancer free for 22 years.

D'Andra Simmons

After working with her mother for 15 years and creating the all natural skin care and make-up line for Ultimate Living International, D’Andra felt the calling to start a line on her own. Inspired by her mother and her own busy lifestyle, D’Andra studied and traveled the world, seeking the most organic, sustainable, holistic products and even lived in Africa for three months learning all about natural ways to live, eat and treat your skin.

The name may be tongue in cheek but the product is as serious as they come. Hard Night, Good Morning is one of the ONLY all natural skin care lines on the market today that actually does what it says it will do and every ounce of it is GOOD for your skin. It is free of parabins, sulphates, phthalates, and phosphates. It is pharmaceutical grade and aloe vera-based, plus the eye cream has a bio-available form of vitamin C that reduces puffiness, fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. The Facial “Cocktail” Serum is the best out of all of the products! About 30 seconds after applying you can actually feel it invigorating and tightening your skin.

Knowing that not all skin types have success with one line in particular, we sent the samples of Hard Night, Good Morning around the group. One gal has dry skin, one is acne oriented, one is oily but dehydrated. After a week with the full line all of the reports back were in unison, “We saw a beautiful difference.”

The acne prone gal noticed a more even skin tone and fewer flare ups. The oily but dehydrated gal noticed lesser oil production and fewer dry lines in her cheeks, around the eye are and on her forehead. The dry skinned gal was blown away at the increased moisture content of her skin after even one use. The bottom line is, all skin types can and have benefitted from this line and we've seen the proof! That’s never happened in our skin care girls group before!

If you’re the CEO that just got off the red eye and have to step into a board room, a mother of three who's not getting any sleep of if you just had a fun night of events and parties, this product does exactly what it says it will do AND it’s Texas based!

For the past 15 years this amazing and innovative skin care line has been all natural...well before the trend because big. From the beginning, they formulated their products with a maximum of Natural ingredients in order to preserve the environment and the skin. But it gets better! In 2006, Caudalie made an innovative move by removing parabens from all its products. From that point on, their formulas have contained preservatives used by organic brands only!

The news gets even better! Caudalie Founder, Bertrand Thomas will be here in The Woodlands to meet and greet with YOU, my fair DISHIES!! Bertrand Thomas has asked DISH to invite YOU to meet, talk about and try their most innovative and best selling products!

Friday October 7th

1pm - 4pm

Sephora The Woodlands

1201 Lake Woodlands Drive, Suite 700 The Woodlands, TX 77380

281.298.8882

You will get to meet Caudalie founder Bertrand Thomas and experience the latest breakthrough innovation from Caudalie, Vinexpert Regimen, an anti-ageing powerhouse regimen, packed with Resveratrol for exceptional immediate and long term clinical results. Experience one on one consultation with the founder and exclusive gifts with purchase.

GIFTS TOO??? Well you know that's DISH'S favorite thing in the world!

Put it in your schedule now and make an evening out of it since you'll be all the way up in the Woodlands...make reservations at America's or Hubble & Hudson! Have a beauty and a date!

It takes a lot for DISH to completely, across the board approve of something. We're fully admit we are hard to please and "High Maintenance" doesn't even begin to cover it.

Being a beauty product whore since I was a wee tot I follow a ton of make-up and skin care lines on twitter. This one kept jumping out at us...Boscia, specifically the Luminizing Black Mask. Every time there was something to search about it nothing but good reviews and crazy love popped up so...we tried it!

DISH Publisher Lori Freese in her BOSCIAWe've all had the gooy, gel type mask that dries and you peel off. They're fine but rarely do more than peel the top layer of dry skin off and sure you look great for the day but eh...

Boscia is different it removes the prerequisite dirt and impurities but it actually does refine the look of pores and reveals a smoother, brighter complexion. After the first use I noticed a difference but wanted to see if it was beginners luck before I bother to write about it.

So here's why it's so different before I go on about how great it is...

Here's what I noticed after 3 uses: A dramatic improvement in my skin's clarity and radiance. My face was brighter and smoother...so ridiculously soft I could hardly believe it!Because my skin is so oily I do have bigger pores in the T-Zone and those pores really are smaller! The Boscia mask really does what it says it will do and more over...I have better results with this than I have with a $200 facial that includes the Diamond Derma-Peel!

They also have the Purifying Black Pore Strips that you can use between uses of the mask. Honestly, the mask works so well that I am not getting a lot of gook out of my pores on the strips...that's amazing with my skin and as much as I have to wear make-up!

Being oily, Boscia also sent me No Pores, No Shine T-Zone Treatment. Admittedly It helps with making pores look smaller and I don't have to touch up as much, but I do still have to touch up...the good news is it is a lot more fun with the Boscia Lavender Blotting Linens. They don't take my make-up off, just the excess oil AND they leave a hit of lavender on my face and hands! What a treat!

I guess it's pretty obvious by now that I highly reccomend the Boscia Skin Careline. AND the best bonus is that it's preservative free! How very DISH!

Do you have a beauty product that you can't live without? A fav salon or hairdresser? How about the best new lippie gloss that you MUST share with others?? We also LOVE home remedies! Tell us about it by CLICKING HERE! DISH wants to know!